Brighton Acoustic Guitar Festival
While ‘Festival’ might have been a somewhat overly grand title for this extended showcase of acoustic guitarists of the ‘percussive’ bent, there was certainly an intimate, family feel to the Brunswick on this rainy, windswept Sunday. Headline act Chris Woods aside, the performers were all in a state of development, with songs, lyrics, stage persona or performance lacking at some point. That these issues mattered little to the rather fluid crowd was testament to the atmosphere created in the room by organiser and performer Brian McNamara. Next year some of these players will return, and they’ll set the stage alight.
The Brunswick, Hove, 13 October, 2013
Rating: 
Pete Langman
What a great day of music. A very relaxed affair and a good mix of acts (established/up-coming/locatl/national). Nick Benjamin’s Q&A was interesting even for a non-guitarist like me. It was interesting to hear that he had built built instruments for Newton Faulkner, Ray Davies (The Kinks) and Mike Dawes. £7 entry – no complaints. I believe this was the first festival of its kind in brighton. Good start guys!
It was an intimate, accessible gathering of some great guitarists. My daughters, both under 13, were given free entry and they really learnt a lot. The Q&A with the Guitar Craftsman was interesting and informative. Some of the acts were test roading new material but for a music enthusiast like me this worked given the laid back nature of the day. Most of the acts were unsigned emerging artists, but what would you expect for a £7 entry fee? For the first Brighton Acoustic Guitar Festival this wasn’t a bad start. The day had an accessible, non-elitist, community feel to it. Brighton needs more events like this. Maybe next year they could include work shops? Ill be there either way.